LOS ANGELES — Macklemore believes Kendrick Lamar deserves the best rap album Grammy, but if he and his producer take home the award, he feels it is justified.

“I think that we made a great album that pushed the genre of hip-hop,” the 30-year-old said. “I think that hip-hop can be at times resistant to change and when you see two white dudes from Seattle, Washington, rapping about gay marriage, it’s like, ’Hold up, this isn’t hip-hop,’ when in actuality it is. Hip-hop has always been about expansion, about pushing the genre, about challenging the listener.”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, like Lamar, are nominated for seven trophies Sunday, and the performers will compete in five of the same categories. The rap duo is up for best new artist, along with Lamar, and their gay acceptance hit, “Same Love,” is nominated for song of the year.

The year marks a high note for hip-hop since album of the year and best new artist both feature two rap acts. OutKast and Lauryn Hill are the only two rap performers to win the coveted album of the year; Hill and Arrested Development are the only rap-based stars to take home best new artist.

A rapper has never won song or record of the year.

Jay Z, keeping up the decade-long Grammy tradition of rappers leading in nominations, is the night’s front-runner with nine, including nods for best rap album, rap song and rap performance. He’s nominated twice for best rap/sung collaboration with “Part II (On the Run)” featuring Beyonce and “Holy Grail” with Justin Timberlake, whose comeback album earned him seven nominations, but none in the major categories.

Macklemore & Lewis’ “Same Love” is up for song of the year alongside No. 1 Billboard hits, including Katy Perry’s “Roar,” Lorde’s “Royals,” ”Locked Out of Heaven“ by Bruno Mars and Pink’s ”Just Give Me a Reason,“ featuring Nate Ruess of fun. Lorde and Mars’ songs repeat in record of the year, and will be up against Imagine Dragons’ ”Radioactive“ and two songs that feature Pharrell Williams — Daft Punk’s ”Get Lucky“ and Robin Thicke’s ”Blurred Lines,“ which has sold 6.6 million tracks and is the biggest song of 2013.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, rising country singer Kacey Musgraves and British electronic act James Blake will compete with Lamar and Macklemore & Lewis for best new artist. Lorde, who was shut out of the category, has four nominations.

“Well, I’ve been waking up every morning and eating a lot of garlic,” she said jokingly. “I have been, I don’t know, just kind of chilling out, trying not to get too tired, because I feel like it’s going to be a big day and night.”

Lorde’s “Royals” is nominated for best pop solo performance and her debut, “Pure Heroine,” is up for pop vocal album, the award the 17-year-old hopes to bring home to New Zealand.

“Because it’s about the album, which is this body of music that I’ve written,” said Lorde, whose album will compete with efforts from Timberlake, Mars, Thicke and Lana Del Rey. “That being said, I’m still going to be proud of what I’ve done if I don’t win a Grammy.”

Lorde is just one of the top females to hit the Grammy stage Sunday: Beyonce, Madonna, Carole King, Pink, Swift and Perry will also perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The men are showing up, too, and performers include Metallica, Willie Nelson, Dave Grohl and Nine Inch Nails. Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who has two nominations, will sing separately on the telecast.

“I love it because you see a lot of people that you’ll never see anywhere else and you’ll see a lot of old friends,” Starr said.

LL Cool J will host the 56th annual Grammy Awards, to air live on CBS at 8 p.m. EDT.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/2014-grammy-awards-big-year-for-rap/feed0Jay ZtheassociatedpresscanadaTop 15 things to know about the 2013 MMVAshttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/top-15-things-to-know-about-the-2013-mmvas
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/top-15-things-to-know-about-the-2013-mmvas#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2013 16:51:42 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=265948]]>The MMVAs descend upon Toronto at the same time each year. It brings out thousands of fans, all flocking to see their favourite celebrity. But, while it may all look pretty on TV, we’re ready to dish on what it’s actually like behind the scenes at the Much Music Video Awards.

1. It’s loud. Like, really loud.

Loud enough that we’re pretty sure the Much Music building may be made out of shatter-proof glass because those ear-piercing squeals from girls can be heard by dogs thousands of miles away. Seriously.

2. Hurry up and wait

Until the REAL stars start showing up later on, there’s a lot of waiting going on. So grab a Red Bull and keep going, slugger!

Our video guy, Graham.

3. Canadian ‘celebrities’

No Much Music Video Awards show would be complete without a few aging Canadian “pop stars.” They’re not hard to spot, but often aren’t seen on TV, as they are delegated to walk the red carpet before any of the main MMVA red carpet coverage begins. They also love to take their time with each media outlet — ensuring they can promote whatever non-existent hit they have, or project they’re working on.

THAT guy’s face says it all…

4. Ladies love Justin Bieber look-alikes

We’re not sure what it is, but ever since Bieber stepped out onto the scene with his swaggy swagger, gals world-wide have been gobbling up copy-cats like they’re the last of the morning’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch. They still eat that, right? Yeah, that’s how old we are — so old, we didn’t know who any of these teeny-boppers are. The ladies behind us sure knew, though…

Grrrrr. Me Cody Simpson. Me so tough!

5. Who are you?

We’re not sure if it’s the age thing — or if it’s too hard to keep up with the latest show to jump on board the vampire bandwagon — but there are always celebrities who leave you going, “…and you are?”

6. Ed Sheeran is hil-ar-ious

Haaaave ya met my friend Ed? No, well he teamed up with one of the world’s biggest stars, Taylor Swift — which now makes him super uber-popular. Like crazy fandemonium popular. He also happens to be HIL-AR-IOUS. It was a little hard to hear, but we’re pretty sure that he told us that he punched Justin Timberlake in the face. (Seriously, watch the 0:52 mark on the video below.)

Miranda Furtado and Ed Sheeran. He made her “LOL”.

7. Some celebrities suck at interviews

Such as the guy from Arrow. We’ll be the first to admit it, we only know about him because of his abs — and with his interview skills that’s all it’s going to be. His cut was so bad; it didn’t even make the montage below. Hey, at least he’s pretty, right?

The “ab guy” from Arrow (AKA Stephen Amell)

8. Taylor Swift runs EVERYTHING

When you’re T. Swift you don’t have to bore yourself by doing interviews with all of the media on the red carpet hoping to chat with you — instead all you have to do is chat with the main sponsors and peace out. Either way, T Swizzy managed to bring some smiles to some faces. Like THIS guy:

Taylor Swift’s head made THIS guy super happy. It must be the curls…

9. D-Listers make the most of these awards shows

They really have nothing better to do than to hang out with Tara Reid, so when they find wandering media, they MUST take advantage and snap a pic together, in hopes that they’ll include you in their articles. Well, you win this one Jedward. Here ya go. Say hi to the Reidster for us.

Damnit, Jedward! You win this round…

10. Technology doesn’t always work

We had the best Vine video with Austin Mahone, BUT the iPhone managed to lose it. (Damn you, technology!) But we did have a working camera, so see the video below (but trust us, the Vine video was AWESOME!)

11. Chavril

Leave it to Canada’s rock-and-roll royalty to close the carpet and grace everyone with their presence. In case you didn’t already know that Avril Lavigne was about to embark on her new royal duties as soon as Chad Kroeger slips that ring on, she wore a crown of spikes to remind you. Yeah, that’s right Canada; she’s not just a Sk8er Girl.

Standing so close to Chad Kroeger and his massive amounts of gel are not recommended by Health Canada.

12. Sometimes VJ’s have wardrobe malfunctions

Where are Leah Miller’s shoes? What’s going on with what’s-her-face’s dress? We don’t know, but the VJs sure know how to work the red carpet, shoes — or no shoes.

What’s wrong with Leah Miller’s….shoes? Yes, we were going to say shoes.

13. Its not just the VJs who you’ll recognize

Behind the barricades, it’s not just fans, but fellow media journalists, too! We ran into Tony Monaco of z103 and our buddy Rudy Blair of 680 News on the red carpet, as well. Hey guys!

Tony Monaco and Rudy Blair were also spotted.

14. Money shots

It takes a lot to get those awards to look snazzy — that was witnessed by THIS guy (and his plumbers crack) while trying to get the perfect shot — or was the capitalizing on those wardrobe malfunctions? Who knows!

The money shot.

15. VIDEO

We can’t sum up the entire awards shows or the crazy behind the scenes antics in simple words, so here’s a helpful video where the stars such as Austin Mahone, Cody Simpson, Ed Sheeran and Kardinal tell you themselves. You’re welcome!

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/top-15-things-to-know-about-the-2013-mmvas/feed1NAME CORRECTION-PJT-MMVA-1.jpgmirandafurtadoOur video guy, Graham. Karl WolfCody SimpsonMiranda Furtado and Ed Sheeran. He made her "LOL". Stephen AmellTaylor Swift's head made THIS guy super happy. It must be the curls...Damnit, Jedward! You win this round...ChavrilLeah MillerTony Monaco and Rudy Gay were also spotted. The money shot. MMVA: Top 7 behind the scenes momentshttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/mmva-top-7-behind-the-scenes-moments
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/mmva-top-7-behind-the-scenes-moments#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2013 17:24:58 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=265904]]>There was a time, not too long ago, when attending the MuchMusic Video Awards meant open bar shenanigans and jubilant celebration of a vibrant music industry. Now a days the award show, like the channel itself, is a well oiled populist pop machine with more security and clearance checks than the NSA.

But beyond the manicured press area — in the VIP party and green rooms — a whole different story plays out behind the glitzy lights and television cameras. Here are the top 7 moments of the night:

7. The ghost of Jon Snow

Despite not being on the official celebrity guest list, Game of Thrones star Kit Harington was the only famous person everyone in the VIP and backstage areas could talk about. Yet, like the White Walkers which are set to hound the next season of his HBO series, it appeared few party-goers actually witnessed the bastard Stark.

6. Brittany Snow all alone with everyone

Brittany Snow’s eyes are the shade of bright blue you can spot from across the room, so it was a rare sight to see the blonde, Pitch Perfect star sitting alone, un-bothered, for 20 minutes in the VIP green room until her date for the evening eventually joined her.

5. Kunal Nayyar from Big Bang Theory is a nice guy

Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar with one of his many admirers

Unlike some of his fellow TV stars, Big Bang Theory’s Junal Nayyar was more than happy to intermingle with the melange of music industry folk. Looking suave in a velour jacket, Mr. Miss India — in town shooting his first film — was easily the night’s most gregarious celeb.

4. Marianas Trench being their douchey selves

It’s no secret that Marianas Trench are for the kids, unfortunately that goes for their maturity level as well as their music. Members of the group were visibly bothered by people coming up to talk to them in the artists green room. Remember boys, fame is fleeting and only one of you is a millionaire. Also: It’s an awards show — did you think there would be nobody here?

3. Drake, Swift and PSY nowhere to be seen

The night’s big three were no-shows in either the VIP or the artist green room, choosing to keep to themselves before heading to either an after party or their hotel room to Skype with their kitty.

2. Ed Sheeran, secret smoker

In spite of claims that he had given up smoking, the British ginger songwriter was seen puffing away before the show in the second floor VIP area along with several other Canadian bands who used the only sheltered outdoor space to indulge their habit.

1. Serena Ryder watches her own performance

Canadian feel-good story Serena Ryder hung around after the show long enough to see a repeat of her live MMVA performance. Huddled under the forearm of her date, the songstress hid a shy smile as the room gave her a belated ovation for her on air medley.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/mmva-top-7-behind-the-scenes-moments/feed0ed sheeran smokingjonathandekelBig Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar was the MMVA nice guy.Psy, Swift, Lavigne, Drake, Bieber all take home MMVAs at outdoor bashhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/psy-kicks-off-muchmusic-video-awards-with-gangnam-style
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/psy-kicks-off-muchmusic-video-awards-with-gangnam-style#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2013 01:36:17 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=265717]]>TORONTO — South Korean rapper Psy hosted in style, Drake dropped by for an unannounced visit and soon-to-be-wed Canadian music power couple Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger took a bow at the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday.

Flanked by eight white-clad dancers, Psy — who was also acting as the show’s co-host — opened the festivities with his galloping viral smash “Gangnam Style” wearing a white sequined tuxedo vest and round-rimmed sunglasses as he went through the familiar paces of the international hit.

“Let me see you bounce, Canada!” he implored, later scolding the crowd for staring into their smartphones: “Stop taking pictures and bounce!”

PSY at the 2013 MMVAs in Toronto

Psy then won the viral video of the year award for “Gangnam Style” — surely one of the evening’s least-contested categories, given that the video racked up more than 1.65 billion YouTube views.

Meanwhile, Lavigne sent a buzz through the crowd when she walked the red carpet with Nickelback’s Kroeger. The soon-to-be-wed punk princess wore a black-leather crown covered in metal spikes atop her head, and the couple was mutually clad head-to-toe in black.

It wasn’t long before she’d claimed her first award, for international video of the year by a Canadian.

Avril Lavigne (RIGHT) and Chad Kroeger (LEFT) arrive on the red carpet at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto, Sunday June 16, 2013.

“Hi everybody. Happy Father’s Day,” said Lavigne, who later performed her aptly titled pop hit “Here’s to Never Growing Up” while dancers waved smoking flares.

“My dad’s here today. So of course, I want to say thank you to my dad for supporting me throughout the years. And of course, all the fans.”

Grammy-winning Toronto rapper Drake was the evening’s big surprise guest, strolling onstage unannounced to give a brief speech after winning hip hop video of the year for his origin-story boast “Started From the Bottom” (which also brought home the award for director of the year).

“Obviously I want to thank the city of Toronto first and foremost,” he said. “It’s great to be home.”

And former Disney star Demi Lovato was among the non-homegrown winners in claiming international video of the year, which the “X-Factor” judge grabbed after navigating the stage’s steps gingerly in her skyscraper heels.

“It’s so heavy — it’s SO heavy,” said Lovato, who later performed a high-energy medley of “Heart Attack” and “Give Your Heart a Break,” indeed displaying reality show-worthy vocal acrobatics. “This is amazing!”

Demi Lovato greets fans during the 2013 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday June 16, 2013.

Although the show lacked a headline-hoarding signature surprise moment — such as when Lady Gaga set her bustier ablaze or when Lavigne herself decided to scrawl “MMVA” across her backside a full decade ago — Psy was, if nothing else, a game host.

The 35-year-old worried beforehand about his still-developing English but ably delivered some physical humour. After shouting “DJ, hit me, anything you want!” he launched into a furious dance routine set to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” unsmiling and un-self-conscious.

“If you liked that, you better put a ring on it,” he cracked afterward, finally relaxing into a broad grin.

He closed the show with a gyrating, pyro-packed performance of his new single “Gentleman,” while a gigantic inflatable Psy hovered in the background — stuck in a contemplative position, hand on chin, before eventually dancing as streamers rained down.

In other performances, husky-voiced howler Serena Ryder performed a medley of her primal hit “Stompa” and “What I Wouldn’t Do,” Classified rapped “Inner Ninja” with two risers full of swaying children joining him and Sheeran brought a touch of elegance, strumming his gentle “Lego House” on an acoustic guitar while clad in a Toronto Blue Jays T-shirt and suit jacket.

At the other end of the elegance spectrum, pop video of the year winners Marianas Trench performed “Desperate Measures” pantless, with “MMVA” scrawled across the backs of their tight white undies. They went on to win a second trophy, the fan-voted Your Fave video for “Stutter.”

Along with that Vancouver band, Classified was a rare double winner on the evening — including video of the year for his uplifting David Myles collaboration “Inner Ninja” — while Deadmau5 and conspicuously absent teen heart-throb Justin Bieber also nabbed awards.

The MMVAs are famous for inventive red-carpet arrivals, and while this year’s show was slightly more muted in that respect, there were still splashy entrances. YouTube comedy group Janoskians arrived in a school bus painted black with fangs scribbled on the fender, “American Idol” champ Phillip Phillips showed up in a vintage forest-green pickup truck (later delivering a slightly out-of-key take on his “Home”) and — again, not to be outdone — Marianas Trench cruised down the carpet in a trunk containing two dunk tanks, with each of the quartet’s members wearing leg-binding mermaid costumes (frontman Josh Ramsay and drummer Ian Casselman did indeed get sent under).

Fans camped out by Much’s downtown Toronto headquarters for days leading up to the show, and they were ready when it was here — wearing headbands proclaiming their love for such in-attendance heart-throbs as Austin Mahone and Brit crooner Sheeran.

Presenter Taylor Swift was similarly impressed, though she’d been in the city all weekend with two stadium show’s at the cavernous Rogers Centre — shows that were so well-attended they inspired a bit of gridlock.

VJ Lauren Toyota and Taylor Swift gesture during the 2013 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday June 16, 2013.

“I know, I’m sorry about the traffic — I was caught in the same traffic,” said Swift, clad in a white-and-black minidress from Canadian designer Vawk, while interviewed on the red carpet.

Later, she won the fans’ choice “Your Fave” trophy for international artist. Swift, whose gobsmacked responses to winning awards have become Internet meme material, was thus in character as she lifted what she said was her first MMVA.

“This is amazing. Thank you so much,” she said. “I just want to thank MuchMusic for playing music videos, and for giving us a reason to put a visual element to the music. To the fans, I’ve had an amazing weekend with you — two sold-out shows. You’re the reason we keep coming back to Canada. So thank you so much for everything.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/psy-kicks-off-muchmusic-video-awards-with-gangnam-style/feed3PSYthecanadianpressPSY performs during the 2013 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday June 16, 2013.Avril Lavigne (RIGHT) and Chad Kroeger (LEFT) arrive on the red carpet at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto, Sunday June 16, 2013.Demi Lovato greets fans during the 2013 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday June 16, 2013. VJ Lauren Toyota and Taylor Swift gesture during the 2013 Much Music Video Awards in Toronto on Sunday June 16, 2013. MuchMusic Video Awards add Avril Lavigne, Ed Sheeran, Stephen Amell and morehttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/muchmusic-video-awards-add-avril-lavigne-ed-sheeran-stephen-amell-and-more
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/muchmusic-video-awards-add-avril-lavigne-ed-sheeran-stephen-amell-and-more#commentsWed, 29 May 2013 22:15:55 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=256477]]>The MuchMusic Video Awards have revealed the first round of performers and presenters who will be joining previously announced co-host PSY and performer Demi Lovato at the June 16 awards ceremony.

Canadian pop princess Avril Lavigne, American Idol winner Phillip Phillips and English crooner Ed Sheeran will all bring their respective live experiences to the annual awards show, MuchMusic revealed Wednesday evening.

East Coast rapper Classified, “Stompa” singer Serena Ryder and Lovato round out the announced performers.

To add insult to injury, as the TMZ tip line is a toll-free number, the humorous prank could cost the website a ton of cash in toll charges.

Naturally, TMZ did not take this lying down.

Admitting the prank was “kind of funny and kind of screwed us up at the same time,” the website sent a film crew to hound Bieber manager Scooter Braun as he left a restaurant with Taylor Swift’s sleepover buddy, Ed Sheeran.

In the clip above, posted Wednesday morning, TMZ’s eternally-thirsty head honcho Harvey Levin exposed that, in retaliation, he called Braun’s publicist and informed them that he was planning to post Braun’s personal number.

Consequently, an incised Braun called Levin (who puts him on speaker phone, natch) to try and squish the rivalry before “little Justin” gets hurt in the crossfire.

Will Bieber’s camp respond? As Braun put it, April’s “a long month.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/celebrity/justin-bieber-vs-tmz-prank-wars/feed2BieberTMZjonathandekelJustin Bieber, April Fools tweet, TMZ Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran: Best Famous Friends Forever!http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever#commentsThu, 28 Feb 2013 17:43:53 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=207154]]>Are they or aren’t they? Well, one thing’s for certain: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are best friends, the sort of pals that’ll tour North America together, build Lego houses and feed each other apple pie while giggling about boys and music and how many stadiums they’re going to sell out this year. Check out some of the nicest things these pop stars have said about each other in the press. Best Famous Friends Forever!]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever/feed0leahdoseSleepover party! Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran spend night together in Londonhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/sleepover-party-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-spend-night-together-in-london
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/sleepover-party-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-spend-night-together-in-london#commentsThu, 28 Feb 2013 17:43:11 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=207190]]>Maybe it was that Tom Odell date night goss, maybe it’s just that Haylor fans don’t want to believe Harry Styles and Taylor Swift will never ever (ever) get back together. Or maybe the hotel staff finally got around to looking up E! News‘ e-mail address or something. But get this: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran threw themselves a sleepover party the night before the BRIT Awards (Feb. 20), and though the world is only hearing about it now — two weeks before they launch their North American tour, just saying — let’s all jump on this hook-up rumour like Harry Styles on cougars and start picking out their couple name.

Sweeran?

Sheeft?

We’ll keep brainstorming while you read this account from E! News’ source, who spotted Sheeran arriving at Swift’s London hotel Feb. 19, where, the source says, they “stayed in the room, just the two of them, until around 4 a.m.”

“He looked very pleased with himself,” the eyewitness says of Sheeran, who reportedly looked “very happy” as he left the hotel, driving away in the hired car Swift was using during her BRITs visit.

But whatever could they have been up to all those hours, without a trampoline or pantry of baking supplies between them? (Please recall Swift’s story of how their duet, Everything Has Changed came to be because somehow it’s hard to forget that two of the world’s biggest pop stars bond over baking pies and playing in the backyard like a couple of “eight year olds.” Swift’s phrasing, not ours.)

But if, as Swift once told MTV, “the combined maturity level of both of us is eight years old,” maybe this hotel hook-up was less “sexy” sleepover and more sleepover-sleepover, complete with cookie dough-binges, pillow fights and maybe some Legos, just for Sheeran’s sake. (Also: business. As previously mentioned, these two have a North American tour to consider, one that will span from March to September.)

Swift, 23, and Sheeran, 22, “briefly dated last spring,” one snitch tells E!. “He thinks she’s really cute and they have a great chemistry together.”

But it’s more widely known that these two are solidly in the friend zone. When Sheeran’s phone went missing at the BRIT Awards, there were stories about how Swift freaked over who might have swiped it.

“Someone’s gonna get videos of me having a conversation with my cat that I sent Ed,” she told Capital FM. Illicit cat videos? Finally, a celeb hacking scandal that would make the world a better place — while also, potentially, being more viral than a sex tape. There is a reason why Taylor Swift is a superstar. This is it.

But cutie-pie best friends can turn into cutie-pie more-than best friends. Maybe, as they sing themselves, Everything Has Changed.

All that’s certain is there are plenty of warm and fuzzy feelings between these two.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/sleepover-party-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-spend-night-together-in-london/feed2Taylor Swift and Ed SheeranleahdoseTaylor Swift and Ed Sheeran: Best Famous Friends Forever!http://o.canada.com/photos/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever-2
http://o.canada.com/photos/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever-2#commentsThu, 28 Feb 2013 17:40:40 +0000http://o.canada.com/?post_type=photo_gallery&p=207209]]>Are they or aren’t they? Well, one thing’s for certain: Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are best friends, the sort of pals that’ll tour North America together, build Lego houses and feed each other apple pie while giggling about boys and music and how many stadiums they’re going to sell out this year. Check out some of the nicest things these pop stars have said about each other in the press. Best Famous Friends Forever!
]]>http://o.canada.com/photos/taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-best-famous-friends-forever-2/feed0leahdoseGrammy predictions: Frank Ocean? Black Keys? fun.?http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/grammy-predictions-frank-ocean-black-keys-fun
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/grammy-predictions-frank-ocean-black-keys-fun#commentsSat, 09 Feb 2013 05:01:09 +0000http://postmediacanadadotcom.wordpress.com/?p=196590]]>By Mesfin Fekadu And Chris Talbott

NEW YORK — Adele dominated last year’s Grammy Awards, but this year there isn’t a clear winner in sight.

That’s because a slew of acts are up for top prizes, from fun. to Frank Ocean to Mumford & Sons. Those performers are nominated for six trophies, as are Kanye West, Jay-Z and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

We here at The Associated Press let you know who to put money on when the awards show airs live Sunday from the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Now if only we could agree.

FEKADU: I want to say that because there are four rock-based acts nominated here, they’ll split the vote, leaving R&B singer Frank Ocean with album of the year. His album should win, but he won’t take the prize. This is The Black Keys’ year, and they’re deserving. The Ohio rockers have released back-to-back amazing albums and The Recording Academy can’t deny that. And they’ll want to reward it.

TALBOTT: The Keys are going to win a major Grammy, just not this one. These Grammys will belong to either Ocean or fun., and to the victor goes this category. Fun. pulled off an amazing feat earning nominations in each of the four major categories, but Ocean’s album has become part of the cultural discussion. It was so startlingly different and universally acclaimed — most of those year-end top 10 lists came out while voters mulled their options — it was impossible for voters to ignore.

——

RECORD OF THE YEAR: Lonely Boy, The Black Keys; Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson; We Are Young, fun. featuring Janelle Monae; Somebody That I Used to Know, Gotye featuring Kimbra; Thinkin Bout You, Frank Ocean; We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift.

TALBOTT: This category has been especially hard to predict over the last decade, with no real trend among the winners. And this year’s overstuffed field makes it no easier. If Thinkin Bout You wins here, there will be no doubt these are Ocean’s Grammys. And Stronger and We Are Young were nominated for song of the year as well, a sign voters pretty much universally loved them. But I’m going with something of an upset as The Black Keys horn in on Ocean’s fun.

FEKADU: The Black Keys are strong contenders, but this award has to go to Gotye, whose oddball pop song was last year’s biggest hit. His ex is probably super mad!

FEKADU: Call you to the stage Carly Rae? Maybe not. Miguel and Ed Sheeran, I’m happy to see your epic tracks get attention here, but it’s not likely that either of your songs will take the Grammy gold. Instead, fun. — whose anthemic song, We Are Young, has a great balance of edge and mainstream appeal — will be named song of the year.

TALBOTT: The real test for a song of the year winner is how it sounds 10 or 20 years from now. In We Are Young, Nate Ruess and bandmates have crafted one of those songs that frames an era perfectly, and voters clearly recognized that while mulling nominations.

TALBOTT: This is an especially strong group. You could envision each of these acts still at it 15 years from now. The category has been full of pleasant upsets over the last few years, but there will be nothing surprising about this year’s winner because these are turning out to be the Frank Ocean Grammys.

FEKADU: Does anyone seriously think an R&B singer who revealed that his first love was a man — who also produces for top hip-hop acts and who is a talented singer-songwriter with one of last year’s best albums — wouldn’t win this?

TALBOTT: One of the more surprising things about this year’s list was that Bruce Springsteen didn’t get more nominations for the well-received album Wrecking Ball and its anthemic theme song. Hold On is a powerful statement of identity and Lonely Boy might be the most copied song nominated Sunday night. But in this case The Boss is in charge.

TALBOTT: With all due respect to Nas, this should be Drake’s trophy. Remember back to the halcyon days of late 2011 when Take Care ruled with its blend of world-beating swagger and knowing self-awareness? Probably not, and there’s a good chance voters won’t either (only three nominations? Really?). Newer albums always have the advantage, so we’re going to predict Nas wins here … and anxiously await that new single from Drake.

FEKADU: We need to put you in a hip-hop 101 class. Drake over Nas by choice? I can’t even deal. You are right about one thing though — Nas wins here. And he should.

On their own, they are three recognizable names from popular music. Individually, their singing styles are distinct and unique — signature voices unlike any other in music today.

Whether those three distinct and unique voices can perform together in harmony, or whether they will clash in a symphony of noise is a question that will be answered at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards this weekend in front of a worldwide television audience predicted to be in the tens of millions.

Rihanna performed alongside Coldplay at last year’s Grammys on the Mylo Xyloto single Princess of China — but that was less of a stretch, as Rihanna performed on the Coldplay album as well.

This time, there will be an aura of curiosity and anticipation, as there was in 2001 when rapper and thought-to-be homophobe Eminem paired with the openly bisexual Elton John for a performance of Eminem’s single Stan, from his 2000 LP Marshall Mathers.

Elton John will perform in a duet again at the Grammys, this time with Song of the Year nominee Ed Sheeran. Country artists Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert are also slated to perform together, but the pairing of country artists doesn’t have the same cachet or curiosity factor of hip hop mashed together with contemporary pop and classic rock.

The sudden death of Whitney Houston on the eve of last year’s Grammys cast a shadow over the ceremony, and permeated every performance, and every word spoken on the air.

Months after the Grammys aired, Ehrlich realized behind-the-scenes cameras had captured reflective, philosophical confessions featuring Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen and Joe Walsh — who had closed the show with a rousing performance of The Beatles songs Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End — along with Adele, Katy Perry and numerous others.

Ehrlich elected to edit the footage into an hour-long homage, The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family, which will air Saturday, on the eve of the Grammys ceremony.

The program will look at how producers, performers and presenters made last-minute changes to the Grammys program, in the minutes and hours after Houston was found unconscious and later pronounced dead in her hotel room at the Grammys’ host hotel, on Feb. 11, 2012, the day before last year’s Grammys aired.

Jennifer Hudson, who broke down on live television after paying homage to Houston with a searing rendition of Houston’s I Will Always Love You, will share her private thoughts and recollections, along with Taylor Swift, Grohl, Perry, Springsteen, LL Cool J and record impresario Clive Davis.

“I don’t want to say it unmasks everything, because it doesn’t,” Ehrlich said. “But it will give people a look at something you very rarely get to see.

“We tell the Whitney story, but we also look at these other things as well, in as much depth as we can.”

Time, and distance, has a way of healing.

“We didn’t plan to do this, frankly, but the idea came together several months later, when we finally saw the footage,” Ehrlich said.

Executive producer Ken Ehrlich, second from left, and NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J, second from right, at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in January. (Sonja Flemming/CBS)

Ehrlich is a music institution in his own right. He has been the Grammys’ executive producer since 1980. During that time, he has seen his share of ups and downs, highs and lows, but nothing to compare with last year.

Much of what viewers saw in the final broadcast was decided at the last minute, in some cases literally.

“Paul McCartney was going to close the show with 1985 from Band on the Run,” Ehrlich recalled. “Friday, two days before the show, I got a call from him saying, ‘I woke up, I couldn’t sleep, I woke up in the middle of the night and though, I’m closing the Grammys.’ Then he said to me, ‘Would it be OK if we did the finale from Abbey Road?’ I told him, ‘Well, maybe that will be all right.’ That was easy. We didn’t have to even talk about that. Then, on Saturday, it grew with Dave Grohl and Joe Walsh. And then, Saturday afternoon, Bruce came in.

“We always start with some thought about what we’re going to do, and those thoughts develop over this intense six- or seven-week period that we have to put the show together. Invariably, though, when you look back at the shows on tape, there are things that happen in the moment that turn out to be much bigger than you thought they were going to be at the time. The moments we create, we have no way of promoting them ahead of time because they happen in the moment.”

Serendipity plays a crucial role in shaping the moments music fans and Grammy watchers remember, Ehrlich told Postmedia News.

“There is no process, honestly. You wake up in the middle of the night, and an idea may hit you. Some pairings are logical. Some are not logical at all.

“It’s come a long way, though. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy to get people to go along with it. I’ve done the show for 33 years. The first duet I did was Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, in 1980.

“What it is, I think — and I mean no disrespect to the other shows — is that people want to bring their A-game to the Grammys. They want to do things they might not do on other shows. We encourage it. We nurture it. When they come to us, it’s very competitive. God knows, they want to be the best act on the Grammys. That can happen in any number of ways, not all of which are duets or combinations.

“They never used to bring these ideas to us, though. Now they do. They come in and say, ‘Well, what about this? Me with this person? Or what about that person with me?’

“It’s like the UN, you know? It becomes back-and-forth diplomacy.”

The Grammys Must Go On: A Death in the Family airs Saturday, Feb. 9, on Global and CBS, at 9 ET/PT, 10 MT.

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards are the following night, on Sunday, Feb. 10, also on Global TV and CBS, at 8 ET/PT, 9 MT.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/television/grammys-whitney-houstons-story-to-take-spotlight/feed0Bobby Brown and Whitney HoustonalxstrachanTelevision Critics AssociationTom Odell: Taylor Swift, Lily Rose Cooper think there’s something about this Brit (Interview)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/tom-odell-taylor-swift-lily-rose-cooper-think-theres-something-about-this-brit-interview
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/tom-odell-taylor-swift-lily-rose-cooper-think-theres-something-about-this-brit-interview#commentsFri, 25 Jan 2013 17:23:23 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=188406]]>There are a few things you need to know about Tom Odell. There are the basic vital statistics: he’s a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from London, for instance, one whose debut album, Long Way Down, is set to arrive April 15 and whose rushing first single, Another Love, has already sound-tracked a Burberry campaign, BBC commercials and the lives of whoever picked up his melancholic EP, Songs From Another Love, last October.

“I’m not usually a massive fan of singer-songwriter stuff, but when I saw him live his energy onstage reminded me of David Bowie,” the pop star wrote in the NME last October, dubbing Odell her “favourite new artist.” “It’s not soppy and moany at all, it’s energetic and insightful,” she continued. And Cooper hearts Odell so much she signed him to her imprint, In the Name Of, after she caught an intimate gig in London. While Odell was recording his forthcoming album last year, he says Cooper was working on material of her own next door. “She’s quite adamant about not letting me hear it, actually,” Odell told Canada.com. Pity. But he says his label boss has been wonderful, otherwise. “Every so often she tells me her experiences and she’s great,” he says. “She’s always said ‘just enjoy it.’ I think that’s the most advice anyone can give you.”

Point No. 3: Britain’s top music critics love him.

That’s how Odell claimed the 2013 BRITs Critics’ Choice Award this past December, an honour that essentially anoints a young artist as the next big thing. (As per the official definition, it’s an award “for new British acts tipped by critics for mainstream success.”) They’re seldom wrong, too. A sampling of past winners: Florence + the Machine, Ellie Goulding, some singer named Adele.

Add it all up, and you’re bound to feel — what’s the word? — “overwhelmed.”

“I didn’t expect anything like what’s happened. These last few months in the UK have been a bit nuts really,” Odell told Canada.com Tuesday — which was before Swift discovered his Trouble cover, so who knows how his flaxen mushroom cut is spinning now.

This time last year, the former music student (Brighton Institute of Modern Music) says he was in a humbler situation — he was going to start work on an album, he was playing small gigs around London. “I did my first kind of headline show in October of November of last year, it was a big deal. I’d never done a proper sold out show, I’d only ever supported people,” he says, contemplating the learning curve he’s experienced in a short period of time, “getting used to performing, on radio and TV and to large amounts of people.”

“All the awards, and like the BBC Sound poll and the BRITs thing: All that, it’s amazing, but it’s because people are into it. And that’s what I think is incredible, is that people like it,” he says. “I didn’t expect them to like it that much.”

So what’s to “like?” Odell, like a handful of other unlikely exports from England (please see Grammy nominee Ed Sheeran) is a mild-mannered singer-songwriter by trade. Piano is his instrument of choice; he grew up taking lessons, like so many children, but was inspired to start writing his own music after discovering the Piano Men of the ‘70s: Elton John, Leon Russell, Billy Joel. The EP, Songs From Another Love, poured from a rawer nerve than, say, Benny and the Jets, though. The titular tune, for instance, find Odell’s voice cracking with pain; he’s struggling to start a new romance while still obsessed with the last one. The melody’s tense, reminiscent of Elliott Smith’s Needle in the Hay; the overall arrangement blasts with Coldplay-style melodrama.

The upcoming album, which Odell largely wrote and recorded “in the past six months,” will be a bit more balanced, he hints. “It’s definitely got more of a positive feeling to it, I think,” he says. “I took a lot of care to give it continuity and give it a story. […] Songs From Another Love was more about losing someone and struggling with a relationship and breaking up. This is more about the whole relationship.”

Odell co-produced the record with Dan Grech (Lana Del Rey, Dragonette, Keane), reducing an estimated 50 songs to a 10-song tracklist. “It’s quite an old-fashioned way of doing things, but I think that’s good.”

Which brings us to Point No. 4 about Tom Odell: Being a little bit old-fashioned is what he loves about what he’s doing.

“There’s this demand that everyone sing in tune and every beat sound the biggest and fat as it can sound. And for me, I’m not criticizing that, but for me it doesn’t do it. I want music that feels real,” he says. “Relationships always have their imperfections and people have their imperfections and life is never perfect, you know. You don’t live like a robot or a computer. Things go wrong and you have feelings. And for me, in my music, I really wanted people to hear that.”

If you’re in Toronto Saturday, Jan. 26, you’ll have an opportunity to hear it in person. Odell plays his first Canadian show at the Rivoli that night. (For more info, visit Tomodell.com.)

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/tom-odell-taylor-swift-lily-rose-cooper-think-theres-something-about-this-brit-interview/feed2Tom OdellleahdoseTaylor Swift and Harry Styles went to a tattoo parlour (Their tattoos were not licked on by kittens)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-went-to-a-tattoo-parlour-their-tattoos-were-not-licked-on-by-kittens
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-went-to-a-tattoo-parlour-their-tattoos-were-not-licked-on-by-kittens#commentsWed, 19 Dec 2012 17:26:26 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=171082]]>If Taylor Swift is spotted at a tattoo parlour, surely it’s because science has discovered a way to have celtic armbands licked on by kittens.

The only other explanation: she’s on a date with Harry Styles. And sure as stars are for wishing upon, the pop stars were photographed at Shamrock Social Tattoo Parlour in L.A. Tuesday. Styles was there to get a new piece of ink — a tall-ship which is now indelibly anchored to his left bicep — and Swift was there to hug him better once he was through being poked and prodded with mean and scary needles.

Swift did not partake, according to reports. If the artists at Shamrock can figure out a way to have body art licked on and off by kittens — as previously mentioned — Tuesday’s trip to the tattoo parlour may have turned out differently. And sign us up, too, while you’re at it.

The shop’s Freddy Negrete shared an Instagram photo of Styles and Swift after the piece had been finished. (See it above.) Please note how cuddly the kids appear to be in the picture. Also note that Harry Styles is apparently a major Rush fan. And also, also note that Styles’ latest tattoo appears to be covering up one of his other etchings.

Peeking from behind the ship’s sails is the scrawled phrase “home made” — but then, the 18-year-old’s arms are dotted with all sorts of other permanent doodles making him look much like a Russian prisoner, human Math notebook or teen pop-star with access to a tattoo gun. His pal Ed Sheeran tattooed what appears to be a small padlock (or maybe a Pop-Tart) on his wrist, and he’s also marked with images including zig zags, a fish skeleton, a heart and a letter A, which is thought to be a tribute to his mom, Anne.

MTV News spoke to (one of) Styles’ tattoo artists, Paul Ryan, about the singer’s “tattoo philosophy,” and here’s what he said: “Harry has more personal things, like he has little things for his mom and all that kind of stuff. They’re all pretty different on what they have, like their ideas. He hasn’t got proper tattoos. They’re just scattered around. I think as he gets older he will want proper pieces and he’ll have all these little pieces.”

But if he wants to slip in a collage of Taylor Swift song lyrics, he’s running out of room. As every lovelorn Directioner knows, there’s only so much Harry Styles to go around.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-went-to-a-tattoo-parlour-their-tattoos-were-not-licked-on-by-kittens/feed0Taylor Swift and Harry Styles Tattoo ParlourleahdoseTaylor Swift and Harry Styles caught kissing (video)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-caught-kissing
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-caught-kissing#commentsTue, 11 Dec 2012 17:42:55 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=166322]]>One Direction fans may be seeing “Red” over Taylor Swift and Harry Style’s new show-mance, but the pair are proving that it will take a little more than crayon-coloured hate mail to stop their budding love.

The two youngsters are still practicing their show-and-tell skills and have been spotted smooching (amongst other forms of PDA) all over the globe.

According to Perez Hilton, T. Swift stole a big ‘ol smooch before hitting the stage for a duet with Ed Sheeran at the Z100 Jingle Ball. (Maybe they were standing under the mistletoe? Check out the video below.)

The country cutie and the mop-haired crooner were also spotted out and about holding hands in New York City, before jumping aboard Swift’s private jet. Sources say the couple landed around 9:30 a.m. in England and made their way to Styles’ apartment, reports E! Online. Unfortunately, while the couple were flying high, Styles’ band members were reportedly fuming over the fact that he bailed on them after their huge concert in NY.

A source told E! Online, “The rest of the band were a bit annoyed about the whole thing,” said the insider. “They took a Virgin commercial flight and there were tons of spare seats on the jet. They were a bit miffed that Harry chose to go with her instead of them. They had just finished a huge concert in NY and all of them were on a high, the fact he left them to travel solo irritated them a bit.”

“Saturday night, 1D performed at the O2 arena,” the source continued. “After 1D’s performance, Taylor got on the boy’s tour bus and took the three and a half hour drive from London to Manchester with the rest of the band. It was a nice gesture of her. And definitely came across as her way of making nice with everyone, of bridging the gap. She wanted to show them she is one of the boys.”

Well, it looks like Taylor’s swifty ways has worked, because according to Celebuzz, Styles’ equally floppy and moppy bandmates are now full-fledged Swifties. Despite playing coy, One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, reportedly told Us Weekly that he’s happy for his bandmate’s new-found friend. “I’m happy they’re good friends.” he said, while fellow 1D-er Liam Payne added, “she’s a really lovely girl.”

Taylor Swift: 1. Haters: 0.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-harry-styles-caught-kissing/feed0121211_TaylorSwiftmirandafurtadoLindsay Lohan ditching court to hang with The Wanted (But are they trading her for another ginger mascot?)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/lindsay-lohan-ditching-court-to-hang-with-the-wanted-but-are-they-trading-her-for-another-ginger-mascot
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/lindsay-lohan-ditching-court-to-hang-with-the-wanted-but-are-they-trading-her-for-another-ginger-mascot#commentsTue, 11 Dec 2012 17:34:52 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=166315]]>As Lindsay Lohan continues to “Stan” for The Wanted, hanging with the boy band in New York and Philadelphia and Boston — partying and cuddling and (probably) singing “Tiny Dancer” all the way — it seems the 26-year-old has left her troubles behind her.

Her many, many troubles.

Troubles like the rent: TMZ reports she’s been “hitting up friends,” trying to pay for her $8,000/month mansion in Beverly Hills lest they throw all her handbags and hair extensions to the curb.

And troubles like the assorted legal situations Lohan is perpetually bothered with — a dazzling rainbow of crimes and misdemeanours that just might interrupt her Almost Famous experience.

The actress has a hearing in Los Angeles Wednesday, for instance — a court date related to a June 8 car accident in Malibu. (She’s facing charges including providing false information to an officer and reckless driving.) But she won’t be there, E! News reports. According to the outlet, Lohan’s planning to hang with The Wanted instead.

Just her luck, if she plays hooky it’ll be a non-issue. According to the Daily Mail, Lohan isn’t required to attend the hearing in person.

That’s what lawyers are for. Plus, the judge is probably a massive Wanted fan. (After all, the judge has two ears and heart.)

And all of this couldn’t be better for Lohan. It’s like landing 100 Lifetime movies with a swag-bag full of leggings on top. Think of the rent money she’ll save! Life on the road has got to be cheaper than the usual La Vida LiLo. She can just couch-surf between the boys’ tour buses and hotel rooms — like she did between Jingle Ball stops in New York and Boston. If she can’t afford a change of clothes, she can just borrow some of theirs. (Clearly that’s why she swiped and Tweeted a photo of Max George’s sweatshirt — and not because they’re friends-with-publicity-benefits.)

She’d just better hope The Wanted stay on “Team Lindsay”because the guys have yet another ginger mascot — one who might find it easier to travel across international borders. As Ed Sheeran, noted red-head, told MTV News this weekend, he “got kidnapped by The Wanted boys” the same night Lohan boarded their tour bus en route to Boston. After “six or seven beers,” he says, the party took off. “I had bruises on me and stuff. I didn’t know where they’d come from. It was a pretty mental night,” Sheeran said.

But where will Lohan and The Wanted turn up next? The group’s already back home in England. And as one source told E!, Lohan is expected to join them there, before following them to Dubai.

And yet, TMZ found her last night in New York City — hanging out at Avenue, the same nightclub where she was arrested for allegedly socking a psychic in the face — even though she Tweeted “I heart the UK” around midnight, perhaps hinting at yet another meet-up with The Wanted.

Is Lohan really, truly “with the boy band?”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/lindsay-lohan-ditching-court-to-hang-with-the-wanted-but-are-they-trading-her-for-another-ginger-mascot/feed1Lindsay LohanleahdoseEarly buzz: Demi Moore, Lindsay Lohan and The Wanted, Adele and morehttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/early-buzz-demi-moore-lindsay-lohan-and-the-wanted-adele-and-more
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/early-buzz-demi-moore-lindsay-lohan-and-the-wanted-adele-and-more#commentsTue, 11 Dec 2012 13:30:36 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=166101]]>Demi Moore‘s romance with 26-year-old Vito Schnabel is already over, evaporating like so many whip-its in the wind. This, however, should give Moore more time to party. (Maybe with us? Please, Demi, party with us.)

—

What sorcery is this?! The stars of the Harry Potter series have reunited to film a new mini-movie.

—

Lindsay Lohan signed up to have some reality show zazz out her mansion with $200,000 in fancy whatsits, but the producers claim she hasn’t been cooperative with shooting the big reveal — even though that’s clearly the best part of any home decorating reality show. If you didn’t already think Lindsay Lohan had issues, now you do.

—

While we’re on the topic of La Lohan, Lindsay’s ongoing Almost Famous experience with The Wanted is going to cause her to miss a Wednesday court date in L.A. According to E! News, though, she won’t get into any trouble if she misses the hearing. The judge, we imagine, is also a massive Wanted fan.

—

And speaking of The Wanted, those dudes clearly have a thing for gingers. Ed Sheeran says that just like Lindsay, he was “kidnapped by The Wanted boys” over the weekend, when the pop stars dragged him onto their tour bus. They had some beers, and, says Sheeran: “I just had loads of giggle fits. … I had bruises on me and stuff. I didn’t know where they’d come from. It was a pretty mental night.”

—

The world doesn’t know the name of Adele’s baby, and this item might explain why: the pop star hasn’t registered her son’s birth with the government. (Apparently, that means she’ll have to pay a $1,606 US fine.)

The American Film Institute thinks the following 10 movies were the best of the year: Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook.

]]>http://o.canada.com/photos/taylor-swifts-jingle-ball-surprise-duets-with-ed-sheeran-b-o-b-photos/feed0leahdoseTaylor Swift and One Direction stayed Up All Night singing karaoke (before Styles took Swift home)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-one-direction-stayed-up-all-night-singing-karoke-before-styles-took-swift-home
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-and-one-direction-stayed-up-all-night-singing-karoke-before-styles-took-swift-home#commentsTue, 04 Dec 2012 16:08:59 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=162076]]>Because there aren’t enough little girls who want to be Taylor Swift, let’s recap what the 22-year-old pop star got up to last night in New York: she went to a One Direction concert, followed by a fancy party where she sang karaoke with One Direction until 4 a.m. — when she left with One Direction’s Harry Styles.

But before we continue speculating on all the “Little Things” that suggest Swift and Styles are really and truly an item — things like those photos of Swift and Styles hanging at the Central Park Zoo, or the fact they already have a celebrity-couple name (it’s “Haylor”) — let’s start at the beginning of Swift’s busy evening.

As an international star of Catstagram and song, Swift’s Monday night schedule was packed, and before she was spotted by The Sun at Madison Square Garden for One Direction’s sold-out show, she was poised and perfect (as usual) at New York’s Marriott Marquis to accept a humanitarian award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center.

(Tweens may know the organization as Conor Kennedy’s grandfather’s Center.)

Neither was Styles, by the way. (E! News reports Swift brought Glee’s Dianna Agron as her +1.) But after she’d accepted her honour and posed pretty on the red carpet in her Oscar De La Renta dress, Swift jetted to Madison Square Garden, where The Sun spotted her watching One Direction’s first headlining stadium gig in the U.S. from the side of the stage.

But she definitely caught the after-party, which the boy band threw last night at the Hudson Hotel. 1D and Swift turned up at the venue’s back entrance separately, and there’s video of Harry, Zayn, Louis, Liam and Niall trying to sneak in. Same goes for Swift and their mutual friend/collaborator Sheeran.

Once inside, the guys weren’t about to rest their vocal cords for their upcoming European tour — got to “Live While We’re Young,” and all — and spent the night singing karaoke. Swift was onstage with them. (“I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys is apparently their go-to tune.) And if all that seems like something out of the fan-fic you’ve been writing on the sly during biology class, Directioners inside the Hudson diligently snapped up ample photographic evidence.

By around 4 a.m. — a time when nothing, not even a Styles/Swift duet to “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” could be adorable — the party broke up, and the Mirror reports that Styles and Swift left together by car.

Swifty is currently overseas working her magical promotional powers for her new album Red, which coincidentally features a collaboration with noted ginger Ed Sheeran who, in turn has the word “Red” tattooed on his arm.

“He has a tattoo on his arm and it says Red, which is after my new album.

“I think that is the coolest thing ever. I love that. I mean, it’s permanent.”

Swift also admitted things worthy of her fluffy-pink diary; She said “I like people with red hair, I would do a ginger. I like Rupert Grint, the guy from the Harry Potter films,” she said.

Flame-colour hair hues aren’t the only thing that gets the singer going. The Sun also reported that she’s a big fan of antiques expert, David Dickinson. “I love antiques. I collect them for my home in Nashville. I hear he does a show over here. We love a bit of pinstripe in America.”

Somewhere between blabbing about her latest preference in men and climbing the charts, the country superstar made some time to strike a few pretty poses for “famed fashion photographer” Nigel Barker (you know, the one from Tyra Banks’ America’s Next Top Model.)

The snaps will be features in a new limited edition photo book, 8 Hours/Taylor Swift, which Entertainment Weekly reports “captures the crooner’s various sides: Hollywood glam and performer-chic. According to the site, the pics were taken over the span of a whole day in Southern California.

Barker told the outlet, “She’s not necessarily known for her sex appeal, but she is someone who is emerging in a way that I’ve never seen.”

“You’ll see her transform from a young girl into this rock and roll superstar, totally in your face,” he explained. “It’s unbelievable how she’s changed and of course how the music is changing and evolving. She’s one to watch.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-would-do-a-ginger/feed0121109_TSwiftymirandafurtadoBig One Direction fan? Watch Little Thingshttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/big-one-direction-fan-watch-little-things
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/big-one-direction-fan-watch-little-things#commentsFri, 02 Nov 2012 17:31:30 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=142374]]>It’s been five long days of little teasers, but One Direction‘s “Little Things” video is here.

And after previewing the “Little Things” video all week, fans knew what to expect: a simple, black-and-white affair, capturing 1D’s Niall, Liam, Louis, Zayn and Harry singing in studio.

But that little detail hasn’t stopped Directioners from losing their minds over the clip. Minutes after the video debuted on One Direction’s Vevo channel this afternoon, viewers were already declaring their love in all caps and ascii hearts. Liam blows (jokey) kisses to the camera! Harry cracks up while singing “you still have to squeeze into your jeans, but you’re perfect to me!”

Watch the video above. Take Me Home, the new album from One Direction, arrives Nov. 13.

It’s the lead single — a track fans committed to memory after its September debut — and it’s since reached the No. 2 spot on the Canadian Hot 100. And for an introduction to Take Me Home, you couldn’t ask for anything sweeter.

So what if they’re adolescents, the One Direction you’ll find on Take Me Home hasn’t exactly experienced a growth spurt since Up All Night. (That debut album only arrived in North America this spring, after all — November 2011, overseas.)

Instead, One Direction have jacked the energy on their mega-selling formula — and in the case of this particular track, they’ve even recruited the three-man songwriting team who crafted their break-out hits “One Thing” and “What Makes You Beautiful.” (That team being Savan Kotecha, Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub.)

The tempo here is boosted, the chorus is shouted, the drums are embiggened — and everything hinges on a classic rock-guitar riff (a little something borrowed from The Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”).

This is the major feel of Take Me Home: Up All Night-era One Direction after a dinner of pop rocks and Red Bull. Loud, boisterous – but still as adorable as a pile of puppies.

Or maybe more realistically, this is One Direction faced with a full year of stadium shows — tasked with keeping the hordes squealing past bedtime. (Or hollering like football freaks: that choir shouting “wanna live” at the end has way more testosterone than the previous generation of teeny-boppers.)

Either way, you’d better be ready to go “crazy, crazy, crazy ’til we see the sun.” There are 12 more tracks of this to go.

Carpe diem, girl. Or YOLO, if you prefer.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Relationship status: Summer fling. WHO’S UP FOR SOME BODY SHOTS?!

2. “Kiss You”

Take “Live While We’re Young” and play it double-time. Stadium rock, meet stadium pop. Like the first track, “Kiss You” smacks you with a stomping drum beat and builds to a bouncing chorus – one that ultimately breaks down so the five boys can do some X Factor-style belting. I’d guess this is the “live band” feel the group’s been talking about in interviews. There’s a touch of jock-jams to the mood, but cuter. (T-ball jock jams?) And the whole thing seems engineered to teach all those first-time concert-goers – so, most of the kids at a One Direction show — some lessons in audience participation. The beat – which swings between a stadium stomp on the chorus and a hyper-active, double-dutch-ready breakdown on some verses – is made for handclaps and fist pumping. And the chorus is an instant sing-a-long. “If you don’t want to take it slow/ And you just want to take me home/ Baby say, ‘Yeah,” the troop sings. Cue age-inappropriate shouting. If this one isn’t a single, it’ll at least become a centerpiece to that ongoing tour.

The first of two Ed Sheeran-penned contributions to Take Me Home, this dulcet tune shows its coffee-shop pedigree. Accompanied by little more than acoustic guitar, the boys get a chance to play up what they learned about singing in X Factor bootcamp. As for the lyrics — a list of all the “little things” they love about a very special lady — they seem engineered for maximum swoonage until you realize One Thing: they’re just ticking off your imperfections while suggesting you’ve got tanking self-esteem. (Bet you didn’t realize you had dimples on your back ’til One Direction mentioned it. And what’s this self-righteous business about how “you’ll never love yourself half as much as I love you?”) Only imaginary boyfriends can suggest you’re less than awesome and get away with it. Still, a pretty melody and a shift in mood are a welcome addition.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Relationship status: Wimpy first boyfriend. The one you dumped when you learned how to “treat yourself right, darlin.”

4. “C’mon, C’mon”

One Direction ditch the boring girls they came with when they catch the sight of you — yes, you! — on the dance floor. (“There’s something in your eyes, saying come on, come on, dance with me baby!”) But before they can swoop in to charm you, they’ll need to psych themselves up. This calls for something out of an ‘80s training montage! Spin class-ready BPM! Whooshing synths! Soaring vocals that ride into the danger zone! None of this is necessarily a bad thing. Now, which little moppet gets to play Rocky?

Rating: 3 out of 5

Relationship status: The Rocky to your Adrian

5. “Last First Kiss”

One Direction have found true love, and though they’re afraid you’ll run away when they tell you how they feel, they’ve just got to tell you that they want to be your everything: your last first kiss, and your first you know what. True love, in this instance, is best expressed as a mid-tempo ballad buffed with layers of strings and synths. (For Directioners experiencing their first rock show, this would be the portion of the evening where you’d borrow your mom’s lighter – or iPhone – and wave it in the air.) 1D’s Niall Horan has said this is his favourite cut off Take Me Home, so try to imagine his earnest little face looking up outside your bedroom window — boombox raised above his tousled, blonde head – while his four bandmates play chaperone. (The group gets songwriting co-credit on this one, so you can pretend they mean every ever-loving word.)

Rating: 3 out of 5

Relationship status: High-school soul mate

6. “Heart Attack”

Another chewy, stadium-ready pop song in the “Kiss You” style. This time, though, One Direction are hand-clapping through their tears. Their girls have found new boys, and (imagine a Michael Jackson style yelp, here): “YOW! I never thought it’d hurt so bad.” If you listen to this one 10 times in a row, I’m sure they’ll feel better. One side note: there’s an “oh oh” melody that runs throughout the song and in the chorus. For Pepsi spokeskids, that little tune sounds an awful lot like the whistling on the Coca Cola “Open Happiness” jingle. If they get in trouble, will Drew Brees and the rest of the New Orleans Saints have to sub for the band on tour?

Rating:3 out of 5

Relationship status: On-again/off-again boyfriend

7. “Rock Me”

This Dr. Luke production opens with Queen’s signature “We Will Rock You” stomp – just in case you forgot the title. But you won’t mistake this one for an actual rock song. The tune’s lyrics wistfully recount a lost love from “summer ’09” – and, fittingly, the verses swing with an easy, campfire-style tempo. But then we get to the chorus – and the whole thing suffers an identity crisis. The group sneers over that Queen-indebted stomp: “I want you to rock me… I want you to hit the pedal, heavy metal, show me you care” – which is kind of weird. Especially considering they set up the chorus as “whispered” words from the summertime sweetheart they’ll always hold dear. Whatever. Harry Styles’ haircut was made for headbanging.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Relationship status:Guy you regret kissing at summer camp

8. “Change My Mind”

Seduction isn’t supposed to be as cute as a basket of puppies, is it? And yet, that’s the effect here. A sample come-on from the chorus: “Baby if you say, you want me to stay/ Stay for the night/ I’ll change my mind.” And yet, for all the smooth bravado – and occasional tear-jerking high note – you’d think they were talking about spending the night at Liam’s place so they can play Legos a while longer.

Maybe it’s all the layers and layers of instrumentation distracting from the message. Or maybe it’s the beat, just quick enough to keep you from turning down the lights. Either way, this one’s probably not going to get into your brain, never mind your pants.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Relationship status: Needy boyfriend

9. “I Would”

Finally, a chance to bring the LOLs. Part of the 1D appeal is their sense of humour – and for anyone who can’t see beyond the matchy outfits and buffed up teen pop, a few jokes, even corny ones, can cut through the earnest high-gloss of Take Me Home.

McFly – UK pop-rockers whose greatest contribution to North American pop culture is probably a bit part in Lindsay Lohan’s Just My Luck – supply “I Would,” which lets the boys play unlikely underdogs vying for a girl who’s already got a bad-ass boyfriend.

In ‘90s boy-band style, every guy gets a verse – each ending with a one-liner. Example: “It feels like I’m constantly playing/ A game that I’m destined to lose/ ‘Cause I can’t compete with your boyfriend/He’s got 27 tattoos!” (The evil BF wouldn’t be Harry Styles, would it?)

But at the end of every wocka-wocka verse we’re walloped with a sugar-rush chorus – one that storms in with the pulse of ‘90s-nostalgic synths that feel more Alphabeat than Usher. Good, clean, cheesy fun.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Relationship status: Crushing on the class clown

10. “Over Again”

The second Ed Sheeran contribution on Take Me Home – and you’ll be able to tell as much within 10 seconds. There’s something about the patter of those lovelorn verses – never mind the acoustic guitar accompaniment and hushed delivery – that make this one sound as though 1D is just covering their ginger BFF. Like “Little Things,” its inclusion is a welcome shift in mood, even if it’s not a game-changing piece. And it allows listeners to pay a little more attention to the boys’ singing talent. (There’s a pretty but fleeting moment of harmony on the chorus – and the record doesn’t play up those vocal moments enough, really, considering 1D’s a five-piece group that sings better than they dance.)

Rating: 3 out of 5

Relationship status: Boyfriend material

11. “Back For You”

After going through other up-tempo numbers like “Kiss You” and “Heart Attack,” the pounding “Back For You” comes off like formula filler. As for the POV, it’s all about generating dreamy daydreams. One Direction is on the road, girl, and they’re missing you. But, as per the chorus: “Baby, you don’t have to worry/ I’ll be coming back for you” – provided you can score concert tickets. The sound, like most of the other pop jams on Take Me Home, is a big, stomping wallop of pop that swells to a massive finish.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Relationship status: The groupie that got away

12. “They Don’t Know About Us”

Opening with the tinkling sound of piano keys – a very ‘90s R&B touch – this love song starts old school: solo showboating, airgrabs and silk pajamas. But on the chorus, it’s time to go big – new stylez. The volume swells, the piano starts to pound a slow stomp underneath layer upon layer of strings, and One Direction declares their secret love for each and every one of you. “They don’t know about the up all nights,” they sing. (First album reference?) “They don’t know I’ve waited all my life/ Just to find a love that feels this right/ Baby they don’t know about us.”

Rating: 4 out of 5

Relationship status: Teacher, mother, secret lover

13. Summer Love

After the showstopper that is “They Don’t Know About Us,” it’s time to slow things down, girl – and this tune – Liam Payne’s favourite — provides a cozy come-down. A countrified ballad – thanks to some acoustic guitar and twangy harmonizing — One Direction reminisce about, what else, an old summer fling. They don’t want her back, they just want to remember a beautiful season spent falling in love (while probably listening to a bunch of Robbie Williams records).

Rating: 3 out of 5

Relationship status: Summer romance, duh.

Take Me Home arrives in stores Nov. 13. Update: One Direction released an album sampler previewing snippets from the album today. Listen to it below:

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/one-directions-take-me-home-track-by-track-review-canadian-exclusive/feed2Take Me Homeleahdose1d - 11d 2345678910111213Are Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran hooking up?http://o.canada.com/entertainment/are-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-hooking-up
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/are-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-hooking-up#commentsWed, 31 Oct 2012 17:46:51 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=140671]]>Sorry Conor Kennedy, but Taylor Swift is like Never Ever Getting Back Together — like ever, with you. Why? Because the country cutie reportedly has another man wrapped around her little, perfectly manicured, finger.

It’s no secret that Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran have been spending time together (and will continue to do so when he joins her on tour next year) but according HollywoodLife.com, Sheeran is falling hard for the headlining act.

The UK’s Mirror reports that the two are growing “increasingly close.”

While this may just be the latest from the Taylor Swift man-candy rumour mill, but Sheeran isn’t helping extinguish the flames. The British singer/song writer recently Tweeted a picture of his latest tattoo — the word “Red” and sure, Sheeran could just really like the colour of love, but it’s also coincidentally the name of Swift’s new album, which has already sold 1.2 million copies in the past week. Sources say that Sheeran is falling for the country singer.

Earlier this year, the pair collaborated on a duet called “Everything Has Changed,” which the songstress has said describes that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you first meet someone special.

So, what does Sheeran have to do to make sure he doesn’t end up on her long list of exes — or the subject of her next hit song? The country cutie recently sat down with Cosmopolitan magazine for a little girl chat and opened up about, what else, her love life. Swift’s dating history may boast a better list of a-listers than a Hollywood hit, but she says that she has an innate ability to end relationships when they just aren’t working.

“I’ve learned when to get out,” she told the magazine. “I’ve never wasted too much time with the wrong person and that’s one thing I’m proud of.”

“I can’t deal with someone wanting to take a relationship backward or needing space or cheating on you. I just don’t ever want to end up in a relationship that isn’t fair ever again,” Swift said.

So what is she looking for? Swift told Cosmo, “I need that unexplainable spark … I just need to see someone and feel Oh, no, uh-oh. It’s only happened a few times in my life, but I feel like if I was gonna be with someone forever, it would be because I saw them and I thought, Oh, no.”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/are-taylor-swift-and-ed-sheeran-hooking-up/feed0121031_TaylorSwiftmirandafurtadoOne Direction and Ed Sheeran want to boost your self-esteem, girl (Listen to ‘Little Things’)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/one-direction-and-ed-sheeran-want-to-boost-your-self-esteem-girl-listen-to-little-things
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/one-direction-and-ed-sheeran-want-to-boost-your-self-esteem-girl-listen-to-little-things#commentsMon, 29 Oct 2012 15:21:57 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=138807]]>Oh, girl. You STILL don’t know you’re beautiful? Don’t blame Cosmo and Glamour et cetera — or the crippling neuroses you’ve been developing since childhood. Maybe you just don’t have enough One Direction in your life. Because these five moppets, they can see just how wonderful you are — especially if you buy their records — and like impeccably dressed puppies they’ll love you unconditionally. For reference, please see their breakout hit, the self-explanatory “What Makes You Beautiful.” And, as of today, their latest single, “Little Things” — an Ed Sheeran-penned track that also happens to celebrate the so-called imperfections you probably didn’t notice you had. But they noticed, girl, and they think they’re beautiful.

“I know you’ve never loved/ The crinkles by your eyes when you smile,” goes the first verse. (A subtle reference to Harry Style’s rumoured teen romance with a certain 30-something TV presenter?) “You’ve never loved/ Your stomach or your thighs/ The dimples in your back/ At the bottom of your spine/ But I’ll love them endlessly.”

Featuring hushed vocals and the simple accompaniment of an acoustic guitar, the song is a bit of a switch-up for the boisterous boy band, who release second album, Take Me Home, next month. Effectively, it sounds like an Ed Sheeran song — fitting considering the singer-songwriter (and newly announced Taylor Swift tour mate) wrote the track. Sheeran and the 1D boys are old friends — he contributed a song, “Moments,” to the group’s last effort and he even used to crash on the couch of a 1D touring band member before he broke through with 2011 album +.

“Little Things,” Sheeran recently revealed to UK radio station Capital FM, wasn’t written specifically for One Direction, though. The song, he explained, was written when he was 17 — but when the band heard him play the tune in studio, they jumped right on it.

“It was one of five songs that I gave to them which made the album,” Sheeran told Capital FM. “There’s another one on there as well,” he continued.

(As Sheeran told Dose.ca this spring, he’s typically protective of his songs, but he made an exception for the guys in 1D. “They’re hard core, man, those guys. They’re cool,” he said. ” I wouldn’t necessarily do that with any other bands.”)

Speaking about “Little Things” with Capital FM, Sheeran said: “I think they just wanted to try something different. I think they did the same formula with the last single — it sounded like a One Direction song,” he said, referring to Take Me Home’s lead offering, “Live While We’re Young.” “And now I think they want to switch it up a bit.”

You can listen to One Direction’s “Little Things” below. The group’s new album, Take Me Home, arrives November 13.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/one-direction-and-ed-sheeran-want-to-boost-your-self-esteem-girl-listen-to-little-things/feed0One DirectionleahdoseTaylor Swift’s Red leaked (so here’s her duet with Ed Sheeran)http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/taylor-swifts-red-leaked-so-heres-her-duet-with-ed-sheeran
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/taylor-swifts-red-leaked-so-heres-her-duet-with-ed-sheeran#commentsThu, 18 Oct 2012 15:50:02 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=131320]]>Taylor Swift‘s new album leaked. It’s enough to make you see Red. Or listen to it, if you’re a particularly impatient Swift fan. And if that’s the case, you’re probably especially curious about an album track that Swift’s been talking up for months: her duet with UK singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran.

“All I know is we said, ‘Hello’/ And your eyes looked like coming home/ All I know is you said my name/ And everything has changed,” Swift and Sheeran sweetly sing on the chorus. “All I know is you held the door/ You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours/ All I know since yesterday is/ Everything has changed.”

Both Swift and Sheeran have repeatedly discussed the origins of the tune. In August, Red‘s resident redhead told Rolling Stone that he and Swift got together to write after he met her management in Nashville. (She was a fan of his work, and sent him an e-mail asking to collaborate.)

“We wrote a song on a trampoline, ate some apple pie and had a jam,” Sheeran told the magazine. “It came in 20 minutes, really. It was a really simple song to write. We just had two guitars and strummed it out.”

“We, for real, [were] sitting on my trampoline in my backyard,” Swift confirmed to MTV later this summer. “We had been writing a song and I was like ‘Hey, I just got a trampoline. You want to see it?’ And so, he brought the guitar for some reason. We ended up writing an entire song out there,” Swift continued. “For portions of the song, [we were bouncing around] ’cause it’s a trampoline and it’s fun, and the combined maturity level of both of us is eight years old.”

According to Rolling Stone, Sheeran and Swift wrote two songs together, though only one — “Everything Has Changed” — appears on Red. Will it ever surface? Maybe she’ll answer that question in the coming days, because according to Billboard, Swift will be all over the TV during Red‘s OFFICIAL release week.

Between Oct. 22 – 26 she’ll appear on programs including Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, E! News, Extra, The Late Show With David Letterman, The View, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Katie and 20/20. And then there’s the VH1 Storytellers episode she taped Monday at Claremont, California’s Harvey Mudd College.

Listen to “Everything Has Changed” below. Red is available in stores Oct. 22.

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/taylor-swifts-red-leaked-so-heres-her-duet-with-ed-sheeran/feed0Taylor SwiftleahdoseFor shame, Taylor Swift: ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ is a major guilty pleasurehttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/for-shame-taylor-swift-i-knew-you-were-trouble-is-a-major-guilty-pleasure
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/for-shame-taylor-swift-i-knew-you-were-trouble-is-a-major-guilty-pleasure#commentsTue, 09 Oct 2012 17:13:18 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=124834]]>Mystery solved! That dubstep song Taylor Swift said was going to include on Red? It seems to be “I Knew You Were Trouble,” the latest tune to debut in advance of Red‘s Oct. 22 release. (The song went on sale at midnight after Swift previewed it on Good Morning America Monday.)

But a new Taylor Swift song tends to bring another sort of mystery — and the release of “I Knew You Were Trouble” is no exception. That puzzle: which (possibly famous) heartbreaker is Swift dumping on this time?

“I knew you were trouble when you walked in/ Shame on me now,” Swift sing-songs on the tune, which is possibly her most Top 40-leaning track yet. (Again, we’ll refer you to the dropped bass on the chorus.) “Flew me to places I’d never been/ Now I’m lying on the cold hard ground/ Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.”

We’re not finding any anagrams for “Gyllenhaal” in those lyrics, so who’s the mystery bad boy? Your guess is as good as ours, Swifties. Still, here’s what the singer-songwriter herself had to say about the track:

“It’s a song that’s one of my favorites on the album because it sounds just as chaotic as the feeling was when I wrote it,” Swift explained in a video message recorded for GMA. “It’s a song about being frustrated with yourself because here you are heartbroken and you knew, when you first saw that person, you saw all these red flags, and you just went for it anyways. So, shame on me.”

Shame on you? Shame on us. Just one listen and the bumping “I Knew You Were Trouble” is already a certifiable guilty pleasure. As of writing, the song is No. 1 on Canadian iTunes — a spot it claimed just hours after debuting online.

And if you’re interested in guessing the name of Swift’s next hit, she’s given fans some intel to work with. The pop star revealed Red‘s 16-song tracklist today. Song titles include “Treacherous,” “Holy Ground,” “22” and “The Lucky One.” (Did someone have a secret tryst with Zac Efron that we never heard about?) And Swift’s hinted that Red will include at least two very-special guest stars. Ed Sheeran appears on the song “Everything Has Changed,” she told MTV earlier this year. As for the other collab, Swift’s keeping coy.

“There’s another one that is a duet with my absolute favourite band,” she teased MTV. (Swift’s favourite band, huh? Well, she’s fanned out over everyone from Foster the People to Sigur Ros in interviews. Does Swifty speak Hopelandic?) “I want to leave that as a secret for closer to when the album comes out… it’s one of the songs I’m most excited about on this album.”

Listen to “I Knew You Were Trouble:”

Red’s tracklisting:

“State of Grace”

“Red”

“Treacherous”

“I Knew You Were Trouble”

“All Too Well”

“22”

“I Almost Do”

“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

“Stay Stay Stay”

“The Last Time”

“Holy Ground”

“Sad Beautiful Tragic”

“The Lucky One”

“Everything Has Changed”

“Starlight”

“Begin Again”

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/for-shame-taylor-swift-i-knew-you-were-trouble-is-a-major-guilty-pleasure/feed0Taylor SwiftleahdoseYOLO, y’all! One Direction back with new single, new albumhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/yolo-yall-one-direction-back-with-new-single-new-album
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/yolo-yall-one-direction-back-with-new-single-new-album#commentsThu, 23 Aug 2012 14:39:02 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=98152]]>It’s been less than a year since One Direction worked their way into your hearts and pants with breakthrough hit “What Makes You Beautiful.” But as Harry, Louis, Zayn, Niall and Liam announced today, they’ll be back with their second album by November, and the first single off that as-yet-untitled disc seems to embody this boy-band’s M.O.

Due to invade North American hard drives on October 1, the song’s called “Live While We’re Young” (dear Tweens: that’s old-timey speak for “YOLO”) and if you really want to embrace the #LWWY spirit, the song’s available for pre-order starting at midnight tonight (though the offer appears to only be available to UK fans).

According to News.com.au, “Live While We’re Young” was written by the same team behind 1-D megahits “One Thing” and “What Makes You Beautiful,” Rami Yacoub, Carl Falk and Savan Kotechca — but they’re not the only dream team involved in the making of Up All Night‘s follow-up.

If you’re British, you’ll be excited to hear McFly’s Tom Fletcher is on board as a collaborator. If you’re not, other songwriters and producers include Taio Cruz, Dr. Luke, Shellback, Toby Gad and singer-songwriter/1D BFF Ed Sheeran. (As the “A-Team” singer told me in a Dose.ca interview earlier this summer, he sent the group two tracks for their next album. “I’ve got two songs that their manager e-mailed me for — old songs that were meant to go on my last album — a big stadium anthem. So I’m going to put them towards them and see if they like them. … I wouldn’t necessarily do that with any other bands.”) That said, it’s unclear whether those are the tunes Sheeran’s contributed to the new 1D record. Suppose we’ll have to wait for that tracklisting.

One Direction, who’ve already scheduled a summer tour of North America — for 2013 — have sold roughly 12 million copies of debut album Up All Night worldwide.

Watch their video message announcing the release of the new “Live While We’re Young” single (if only because their haircuts are immaculate).

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/yolo-yall-one-direction-back-with-new-single-new-album/feed0One DirectionleahdoseTaylor Swift’s YouTube webcast: 16 things we learnedhttp://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/16-things-we-learned-from-taylor-swifts-youtube-webcast-new-album-new-single-news-about-meredith-the-cat
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/16-things-we-learned-from-taylor-swifts-youtube-webcast-new-album-new-single-news-about-meredith-the-cat#commentsTue, 14 Aug 2012 15:33:41 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=92765]]>Gather round, Taylor Swift fans, because Swift had some “really cool” news to share last night on YouTube — news that involved an album announcement (and, yes, even a status update on Meredith the Cat). Here are 16 things we learned from her very special webcast — that’s one fact for every upcoming album track! – plus, listen to “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” the new single she wrote for a certain mysterious ex-boyfriend.

1. Taylor Swift’s new album is called Red.

Here’s why: The record was inspired by all sorts of dark and twisty feelings, said Swift: “All those emotions spanning from intense love, intense frustration, jealousy, confusion, all of that, in my mind all those emotions are red. There’s nothing in between. There’s nothing beige about any of those feelings.”

This would be the album art, obvs. Strangely, “beige” factors prominently in the design.

2. Red hits stores October 22.

That’s one year and 363 days since her last album, Speak Now, dropped. Fact!

3. Ed Sheeran, famous British redhead, will make an appearance on Red.

Apparently they wrote a song together while sitting on a trampoline. This is adorable.

4. Jake Gyllenhaal is probably a total dinkwallet.

While explaining what inspired Red, Swift said that her love life has been “semi-toxic” since the release of Speak Now: “All the different emotions that are written about on this album are all pretty much about the kind of tumultuous, crazy, insane, intense, semi-toxic relationships that I’ve experienced in the last two years.” What the bejebus was happening on all those sweet little coffee dates?! “I tend to skew in the direction of writing songs about love-related things, relationship- and feeling-related things, that’s where I naturally go,” Swift said when a fan asked about Red’s origins. “I ended up being inspired by a lot of zero-to-100 then it hits a wall and explodes- type relationships which are so fun to write about, really dysfunctional and not good generally but when you write about them it gives you a lot of inspiration.”

5. If you know Taylor Swift, she’ll probably write a song about you.

But then, you knew that already. “When I’m writing an album, my world becomes a big storyboard and has the potential to become a character and all my family and friends around me know that. The last two years have been really inspirational and that’s why there are so many songs on the album.”

6. FYI, Swift wrote about 35 songs for Red.

She only put 16 of them on the album, though.

7. Taylor Swift still does her own grocery shopping.

“It’s not like I can’t do things that I used to do,” she said, responding to a fan who asked how her life has changed since becoming a superstar. “I still go and shop at the same grocery stores I used to, I still shop at the same stores, I still hang out with my friends.” If you need to find us, we’ll be camped out in the baking aisle of a Nashville supermarket.

8. Just like every Taylor Swift album, Red‘s lyrics will include super-secret messages for fans and gossip bloggers to decipher and giggle over.

“It’s pretty difficult to come up with them,” Swift said of her secret messages, “because I know that you guys are going to figure it out.” Still, she added: “I’m really excited about the fact that you guys care about lyrics. … Hiding little codes in lyrics is kind of a way of encouraging that.”

9. 72,500 people are bigger Taylor Swift fans than you.

That’s the number of fans who tuned into Swift’s live webcast Monday, Aug. 13.

10. Taylor Swift will be baking pumpkin bread very, very soon.

“There’s something really calming about having everything measured out, and stirring, and preheating the oven,” Swift said, explaining why she loves baking so much. “Fall is about to happen, and it’s about to be baking overdrive. There’s going to be pumpkin bread that I’ll be making a lot of and giving to people.” Give some to us, Taylor! (Along with the recipe, pretty please!)

11. Taylor Swift’s hobbies (that aren’t baking) are:

Cooking and watching TV and drinking Starbucks Pumpkin Spice lattes. Now you know.

12. Taylor Swift is going on tour, everybody.

She wouldn’t name cities or dates — though she did tell fans from Brazil and Sweden that she wished she could visit very soon. Still, a tour is definitely in the works. “We’re going to be doing lots of traveling all over everywhere,” she said.

13. Meredith the kitten is “really good.”

Thanks for asking, Katie from Ohio. “She’s just a cat, living in my apartment with me,” said Swift, “playing fetch and stuff.

14. Taylor Swift could have starred in a movie, but she decided to record Red instead.

As Swift told fans, she’d love to get into movies, but she’s saving herself for the perfect role. “I would love to do a movie that I was so obsessed with that I couldn’t think of anything other than shooting that movie,” said Swift. “I love music, and I love touring, and I love seeing you guys all the time, and so it’s really hard to take time away from doing that. I don’t like to.”

15. Taylor Swift must be a major Avril Lavigne fan.

We say that only because her new single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” makes the country princess sound just like little miss “Complicated.” Swift debuted the song at the end of the webcast — miming along to song’s kiss-off lyrics while a living room full of fans clapped along. The track’s producer, Max Martin, has definitely worked with Lavigne in the past (Goodbye Lullaby) which might account for the similarities — but then, he’s also teamed with Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and pretty much anyone who’s had a Top 40 hit in the last 15 years.

16. This is what “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” sounds like:

]]>http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/16-things-we-learned-from-taylor-swifts-youtube-webcast-new-album-new-single-news-about-meredith-the-cat/feed1Taylor SwiftleahdoseRed Taylor SwiftMuse confirms Olympic Closing Ceremony gig: Who else is on the bill?http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/muse-confirms-olympic-closing-ceremony-gig-who-else-is-on-the-bill
http://o.canada.com/entertainment/music/muse-confirms-olympic-closing-ceremony-gig-who-else-is-on-the-bill#commentsThu, 09 Aug 2012 19:13:49 +0000http://o.canada.com/?p=89951]]>They already contributed “Survival,” the official song of the London 2012 Olympics, which you’d think would serve as an unofficial invite to any event of this year’s Games. No supermassive shocker, then, that Muse says they’re playing the closing ceremony this Sunday; the rock band’s drummer, Dom Howard, spilled the news to NME while talking about “Survival’s” origins.

Now, is there any British slang for “Aw, sh*t?” — because as the closing ceremony’s music director, David Arnold, told the Daily Telegraph, the details of the production are being held secret until show time. (“I’m always disappointed when something leaks,” he told the paper. “It’s like telling someone what they’re going to get for Christmas.”) But then, Muse isn’t the only act to share spoilers. George Michael is going to be involved; he Tweeted as much Tuesday, writing that he was “spending most of the next week rehearsing like crazy for the Olympic closing ceremony.” Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was just as open about his involvement, telling Australian radio station Nova: “I’m doing a song with Pink Floyd. I’m doing ‘Wish You Were Here.'” (That said, the band later denied their involvement, according to the BBC.)

So, that’s three acts confirmed — for a spectacle that will feature a cast of more than 4,100. And while most of that mob won’t be on the A-list (no, that’s not a dig against George Michael), that leaves room for some Olympic-sized speculation, because as the production’s artistic director, Kim Gavin, told the BBC, the musical selections will span from “Elgar to Adele.”

Elgar’s dead, FYI, but yes, Adele is definitely among the rumoured performers.

Who else is being buzzed about?

Kate Bush: The veteran singer-songwriter hasn’t staged a tour since 1979, but a remix of her classic “Running Up That Hill” surfaced on Amazon this week, according to NME, refreshing speculation that she will make an appearance.

The Spice Girls: Their upcoming jukebox musical Viva Forever already had fans wondering about a potential reunion, but a July radio interview with Victoria Beckham seemed to suggest the Olympics’ Closing Ceremony could be Girl Powered. “I don’t know about a comeback tour, but I loved being back with the girls. We are very excited about the Olympics,” Beckham said last month.

And then there are all the names the Daily Mail is sharing after snatching up some “leaked documents” about the upcoming two-and-a-half-hour extravaganza. If their report is legit, expect appearances from the following British-y celebrities: The Who, Kate Moss, Take That, members of Queen, Russell Brand, Annie Lennox, Madness, The Kinks’ Ray Davies, Pet Shop Boys, Kaiser Chiefs, One Direction, Elbow, Jessie J, Absolutely Fabulous’ Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Naomi Campbell, Stella Tennant, Lily Cole, Georgia May Jagger, The Royal Ballet, Emeli Sande, Julian Lloyd Webber, The Clash, Tinie Tempah, Taio Cruz, Liam Gallagher, The Manic Street Preachers, Eric Idle.

All that seems certain, though, is the organizers’ enthusiasm. “To me, this should be the greatest after-party in the world,” Arnold told the Telegraph. “It needs to be something where everyone, including the athletes, is going to be able to let off steam. There are seven and a half thousand of them there, so it’s a show for them all to get involved with, and hopefully it will wrap up the spirit of what these Games have been, which is slightly anarchic, slightly mischievous, funny, heartwarming, emotional, inspiring, and uniquely British.”